Drug free youth

The COVID-19 pandemic escalated and amplified substance use challenges in the UMUT community, placing all at heightened risk but asking youth to shoulder a disproportionate burden.

Barred from school and community support in an effort to “stop the spread,” and kept in homes where between 45% and 55% of adult Ute Tribal Members battle Substance Use Disorder, young people began to experiment with illicit substances. It is crucial that Growing Healthy Ute Drug Free Communities (GHU DFC) embarks urgently to restart paused efforts related to prevention and intervention. GHU DFC has been working to improve protections and services for youth since 2014. Dedicated to the mission of preventing and reducing substance use among youth up to 18 years of age, and over time, reducing substance abuse among adults, by addressing the risk factors that increase substance abuse and promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance abuse, the efforts of the GHU DFC have never been more important.

GHU DFC seeks to establish and strengthen collaboration among community stakeholders and organizations to sustainably address and reduce youth substance use, and over time among adults – targeting alcohol and methamphetamine.

Proposed efforts embrace the Seven Strategies for Community-Level Change. GHU DFC will build local capacity to address local challenges. To measurably lower the impact of substance use on the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe youth, GHU DFC seeks to:

 

  • Leverage culturally responsive outreach efforts

  • Create evidence-based prevention programming

  • Create a “Survivors Support Group” option for youth to promote healing

  • Establish evidence-based parenting support

  • Build “Youth Resiliency Programming'' that builds healthy relationships and strengthens cultural connections

Environmental changes will be made by adding Ute/English youth-designed prevention posters. 

These will beposted to building exteriors, tribal building hallways, and lot areas where youth congregate to use substances, serving as a visual reminder of Ute cultural community expectations of substance-free youth and strengthening protections for youth. In direct alignment with DFC priorities, GHU DFC seeks to:

  1. Limit youth access to substances.

  2. Change the culture and context within which decisions about substance use are made.

  3. Shift the consequences associated with youth substance use.

  4. Address issues related to health disparities and promote health equity.

Measurable objectives include:

Objective 1: By September 29, 2023, increase the number of partners in the Drug Free Coalition by 15%, to be measured by attendance rosters.

Objective 2: By September 29, 2023, reduce by 10% current use of alcohol (use within 30 days) among youth Grades 6-12 to be measured by pre-post-Past 30-Day Use surveys.

Objective 3: By September 29, 2023, reduce by 10% current use of methamphetamine (use within 30 days) among youth Grades 6-12 to be measured by pre-post-Past 30-Day Use surveys.